


Unexpected

by somethinglikethat



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-29
Updated: 2014-04-29
Packaged: 2018-01-21 05:44:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1539830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethinglikethat/pseuds/somethinglikethat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper’s first impression of Tony Stark lives up to his reputation. He is an egotistical, overgrown frat boy with an alcohol problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place before the Iron Man movies and after The Dark Knight.

Pepper’s first impression of Tony Stark lives up to his reputation. He is an egotistical, overgrown frat boy with an alcohol problem. He has absolutely zero interest in responsibility or anybody but himself and he goes through girls like tissues. Most girls are all too eager to be used and go away the next morning with a smile on their face, but some like to cling. After a  few years of working for Tony, she has become a pro at getting rid of one night stands.

There isn’t any reason to believe this time would be any different even though she now knows there is more to her boss under layers of narcissism and self destructive behavior, but when Pepper arrives early to chase off Tony’s latest conquest the house is pleasantly empty of signs of an overnight visitor.  

Bypassing JARVIS, Pepper continues down to Tony’s lab and finds that Tony is not alone. As far as Pepper knows, no one has access to the lab but Tony and her.

And that is only out of necessity and because running Tony’s life for him was infinitely harder from behind a glass door.

This man is built like a mountain. Barefoot and sans clothing besides a pair of low slung sweats with a MIT logo on the hip, the stranger is muscled in a way that has Pepper giving an involuntary, “ _Oh my_.”

What is more surprising is how his how his arm is settled casually across Tony’s bare abdomen from behind and how Tony’s leaning back against him. Tony is tinkering with a holographic design of something and the man the man scoffs, “No,” and reaches out to move a few things around himself.

Tony sighs heavily but doesn't stop him. “I’m sorry. I must be confused. I thought _I_ was the genius here.” Pepper has never seen Tony let anyone else look his designs while they were in progress, let alone contribute to them. He looks relaxed, at complete ease with the stranger in a way she’s only seen him with Obie and Rhodey.

The whole scene is disturbingly domestic and clashes violently with the picture Pepper has of her boss in her head.

“You’re forgiven,” the man says without pausing his modifications to the design. Tony lets out an offended squawk and the man tugs Tony closer.

Pepper regains to her senses and clears her throat. Neither seem to be surprised to find her there, but only the man turns to acknowledge her presence with a small grin and nod of the head.

“Batsy, my Alfred,” Tony introduces, “Pep, Batsy.”

“I’m Bruce Wayne,” the man corrects, leaving Tony’s side to shake her hand, “You must be this Pepper Potts I’ve heard so much about.”

God, his eyes are really blue. “I-yes, very nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne.” And then it clicks. “Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises?”

“The same. Call me Bruce, please,” he smiles. It’s a devastating smile, the kind of smile that could sway public opinion is his favor when whatever Tony has going on with Mr. Wayne blows up in his face. Of course, until recently Pepper and the rest of the world assumed he was dead.

Pepper nods. “Pepper then. I just need Mr. Starks signature for a few things and then I’ll be out of your hair. If there is anything you need while you are here let me know and I’ll see what I can do.” She walks over to Tony, absorbed in his work, and all but shoves a tablet pen into his hand to sign a few documents she holds out for him.

Bruce laughs, deep and rich. “Thank you, but I’m sure you have your hands full with Tony. If he’s anything like he was when we were younger, you have your job cut out for you. You must know Rhodey. Has he ever told you about Spring Break in Cancun when Tony-”

“I will not stand for slander!” Tony says, “Especially not from you, Wayne.”

An old friend then. A sex friend, but a friend none the less. Tony doesn't have a lot of those and the ones he does have, he values. Pepper internally sighs with relief because a Wayne-Stark media feud is not something she thinks she can handle.

(Well she could, but if she could avoid the premature stress aging, that would be wonderful)

Pepper ignores Tony, “I have not heard that story, but I would love to hear it sometime.”

“You’re fired!”

Pepper and Bruce both ignore Tony. “Have JARVIS give you my number. It may come in handy when Tony becomes too much and you need an extra hand.”

“I’ll be sure to get it from him,” Pepper says with a genuine smile and breezes out of the room.

“You’re both fired!”

A few days later when Bruce is on a flight to Gotham, Pepper asks Tony about Bruce.

“I thought he was dead.”

“He fooled us all. He always did have a flair for the dramatics.” Tony replies absentmindedly but too bitter to be taken as playful like he was clearly aiming for. Rhodey doesn't have much to say either.

“I’m not sure,” he says when they get lunch one day, “Bruce has known Tony longer than I have. Grew up in the same circles. They’ve been off and on for as long as I’ve know them, but seven years ago, Bruce disappeared. We all thought he was dead and Tony...well Tony never really got past it.”

From then on, Bruce would pop up every couple of months and the more he was around, the more Tony remembered to eat and sleep. Around Bruce, Tony was less of an overgrown frat boy and more of a...slightly less frat-y overgrown frat boy. Tony still brought girls home when Bruce was in Gotham, across the country and out of reach, but when the other man was in Malibu, Tony was different. Lighter.

Almost a year after Pepper meets Bruce, she completely approves of the other man and his unfailing ability to smack sense into Tony. Pepper wouldn’t call Bruce a friend exactly, but they at least shared a particular camaraderie from handling Tony. Bruce is a lot like Tony in that he has a magnetic personality, the kind that draws attention in a big room, and Pepper can’t help but have a certain fondness. He’s good for Tony in ways a one night stand could never be and Tony seems to genuinely care for him.

Pepper’s opinion becomes a little less approving when Bruce cancels a visit to Malibu for the third time in a row and Tony drinks himself into a stupor before noon.

It’s probably the drunkest Pepper has ever seen Tony. She’s debating on whether or not medical assistance is going to be necessary when Tony starts slurring Bruce’s name.

“Bruce,” Pepper is able to make out, “Fuckin’ Bruce and his fucking face and and his fucking cape. Jus’ gonna disappear and die again. Won’ come back this time.”

Tony talks for about twenty minutes. It’s mostly nonsense, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that Tony still hasn’t gotten over Bruce’s disappearance and fear that it will happen again. They never speak of Tony’s ramblings later, but Pepper makes sure Bruce makes a surprise visit two days later and stays for an entire week.

As it turns out, it’s pointless for Pepper to fear what would happen if Bruce stopped showing up because it’s Tony that disappears next.

Only this time, they know he’s not dead but just a prisoner of terrorists in Afghanistan. Somehow, Pepper doesn’t think that makes the situation any better.

 


End file.
